“When it comes to the donkey to well…” – 13 Luther quotes that apply to today

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1749

On the mouth of the reformer, Martin Luther is not like that. He understood it’s brilliant to bring things and relationships to the point. We present some of the striking quotes from A – how to work up to S – like Sex.

No one has shaped the German language as sustainably as Martin Luther (1483 – 1546). Especially with the Translation of the Bible from the Greek basic text into German pulled of a great Coup for him. He wanted that everyone can read the Bible and understand German. Therefore, he chose an easy-to-understand, and figurative language. Even the new words he created, if there was no matching. More than 300 terms, colloquial phrases and Proverbs which are still used today. For example, in the morning land, – the-gaps, making word, punk, fire, zeal, the stone of stumbling, pearls before swine, throw his light under a bushel, pride comes before the fall, When the donkey to well, he goes on the ice and dance.

The “Weimar edition of the works of Martin Luther,” consists of about 80,000 pages in 127 volumes. To do this, all of his books, but also Bible commentaries, leaflets or negotiation protocols. Get 2600 letters he has written remained almost. So he is the best-documented person of the middle ages at all.

Its scale for an understandable language formulated by Luther: “You have the mother in the house, the children on the streets, the common man in the market-drum questions, and the same on the mouth look, how they talk…” Luther-to-understand language not only runs through his Translations and his theological work. He used it also when he brought in Everyday, Social or Emotional, judged, and language. If you want to understand Martin Luther in his diverse Work in terms of content, you must understand him first and foremost as a Christian. To life about the beginning of some of the quotes to the faith.

1. Luther on God and Jesus:

“A SIP of water or beer distributes the thirst, a piece of bread to the hungry, Christ destroys death.”

Luther’s greatest concern: The people to understand how you are permanently in communion with God can live. On the question of how sinful people come back into contact and right with his Creator, this ground-breaking recognition of 1517: “Christ makes me righteous, without all of my works to Do, and without all of my sins prevent it.” In other words: Faith and trust in Jesus Christ, the son of God. According to Luther, he is the key person. “Who does not find God in Jesus Christ, finds him take more, he was looking for him where he was going.” For Luther is clear: “If we have Christ, we have everything our heart’s desire.

 

2. Luther on Faith:

“Faith is a living, daring Confidence on God’s grace. And such Confidence makes you cheerful, brave and full of joy to God and all creatures.”

The reformer is also convinced: “Faith and love is the whole essence of a Christian. Faith receives, love gives.”

Another one of his key messages is possible only because Luther is standing firmly on the Foundation of the Christian faith. In his book, “the freedom of a Christian man” defined it in 1520 for the first time, the Evangelical freedom: “A Christian is a free Lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all things and subject to everyone.” These two grace-contradictory ends of sentences go back to a statement made by the Apostle Paul in the New Testament. “I am free in all things, and have made me of each and every servant.” A total of 30 theses from Luther’s book to mark a spirit of the history of the border between the middle ages and modern times.

3. Luther on the Bible:

“Country road is safe, wrong is dangerous. The word of God leadeth to life, but self-conceit (self-complacency) to death.”

For Martin Luther, the word of God, the Bible is therefore, such as a road that leads to life – at the end of even to eternal life. After many decades of intensive Bible study, he sums up: “In the Bible God himself speaks with us as a human being with his friends.” In addition, the theologian, has made this experience: “The Holy Scripture is a herbs; the more you RUB it, the more it smells. How is the word, so also the soul of it.”

In another image Luther characterizes the Bible as a book that is full of Surprises: “The Scriptures are a river in which an elephant must swim, and a lamb can go.” All those who know what to do with it nothing, he recommends: “It is not joking with the word of God. You can’t understand it, so pull the hat in front of him.” So: honor, instead of ridicule. For Luther, there is no doubt: “The Bible is not antique, not even modern, it is eternal.”

4. Luther on Prayer:

“Christians who pray, are like pillars that carry the roof of the world.”

Luther is convinced that Prayer, Speaking to God, whose decisions affect and, therefore, for Good in the world can change – in a Big, or Small. And that’s why he always gives advice to Pray: “A good prayer should not be long, not long drawn, but it should be often and heartily.” Another Time, he recommends: “Pray as if every Work would be of no use to work so, than any prayer would be of no benefit.”

Luther pleads for a frequent exchange with God, in whatever Situation a person is just: “Wherefore the ancient fathers praised the impact gebetlein, the man sighs with a word or two up to the sky. You can do that also, if one reads, writes, or other work done.” And for stressful times Luther has this advice: “Today I have much to do, so I have to pray a lot.”

5. Luther on the meaning of the work:

“Work-no man stirbet. But by Single and idle go, people come up to body and life; for man is born to labour as the bird to fly.”

With such statements, Luther lays the first foundations of a Protestant work ethic. That work is a duty, not to question it. So, the reformer warns: “It is the greatest temptation that no one fulfilled his job faithfully, but all the leisure want.” Provocative interpreted, it means: he Who works too little, and approved, instead, a lot of free time, sin. According to the former view of things, work is the center of life leisure is secondary.

However, according to Luther, does not do the man well to consider the work for themselves: “The man should work and do something, but in addition know that another fed him as his work, namely, God’s blessing.” However, Luther also stresses the importance of the work to separate things: “You can not serve God alone with work, but also to celebrate and Rest.”

6. Luther, on the lie:

“A lie is like a snowball: The longer you roll it, the bigger it is.”

A comparison that everyone probably understands, because: Who has never told the truth, and the consequences experienced? Another time, compares the theologian the lie with the animal that is in the Bible for the seduction: “the serpent is The Image of the lie, for you winds, whether it’s running or whether it is located; only when she is dead, she’s straight.” To decide an appeal, for the truth – because the stands in a direct relation to Conscience. Therefore, Luther’s advice is: “beware of a bad Conscience! You don’t know what is there for an evil worm. He will gnaw at you and bite all your life.”

7. Luther about wealth and money:

“Wealth is the smallest thing on earth and the smallest gift God can give to the people. This is why our Lord God usually gives riches to the gross Asses, to whom he loves nothing else.”

Whether this aphorism is a life experience of Luther, or whether he has a Bible passage in the head? After all, he translated the New Testament (Matthew 6, 19-21) a statement of Jesus: “ye shall not cut yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust eat them and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” A matching Luther quote goes, mutatis mutandis, to this: “What you hang your heart, this is really your God.”

An observation of Luther on the subject of money is so well written that you are guaranteed even in the 21st century. Century, the test of Truth is: “The worry about how to get his money, is the most dreadful bondage.”

But it’s not like Martin Luther wealth, property, and money in the damn lock, stock and barrel – for him, the setting is crucial: “God lets happen, that you’re rich, but you shouldn’t fall for the wealth.”

 

8. Luther about politics and the world:

“The world is like a drunken peasant: lift it on one side in the saddle, so he falls on the other side of down.”

Hardly a political crisis is overcome, there is somewhere already a new – this is the impression that has changed since Luther in 500 years. Therefore, the theologian uses, the scholars of all scientific disciplines, so that the world and society remain reasonably Plumb. This illustrates this hypothesis: “If God zürnete and all the scholars of the world would not take away, so the people would even beasts and wild animals. There is no mind would still be a joke, not a law, but vain, Rob, Steal, murder, commit Adultery and do harm.”

However, with the People as this is feasible, alone, is not doing it for Luther. He knows: “human reason only teaches the hands and the feet, but God the heart.” Luther probably thinks those virtues, which he understands as a fundamental pillar of the action: “The four main virtues will be distributed on the well: the regularity will receive the body, the justice feeds, the bravery, struggles, wisdom governs all things.”

Personalities are cheering high, is not Luther’s thing. The reason: “honor changed the character, but never to the Good, and easy to be bullies.” For this, he may have some important advice for all of your current Social and Family policy: “must be started With the children, if it is to be in the state better.”

What has lives of Luther, is responsible for the determination, for his opinion. As he is quoted in 1521, before the Reichstag in Worms, so he calls out to the Emperor for his Protestant ideas, he refuses. In a mixture of courage, determination and trust in God, he says: “Here I stand. God help me. Amen.”

9. Luther on feeling were:

“That the birds of worry and of sorrow from flying over your head, you can’t change. But that they build nests in your hair, this you can prevent.”

The only question is, how? Luther would not Luther, if he had any recipes against melancholy. He says: “Who is plagued with the spirit of sadness, is to beware of the highest and do not provide that he should be alone.” He makes it even more concrete: “If your contested will, through tribulation and despair, or by a moral dilemma, then eat, drink, addiction, entertainment, if you help the thought of a girl, so I like that.”

Mind you: Only to a girl think! Moral dilemma, hostility, persecution – all of which has Luther on his own body. That’s why he knows when it comes to very hard: “Who is plagued with sadness, despair, or Heartbreak, or a worm in Conscience, nature think seriously of the consolation of the divine word, and so eat and he drink, and seek the society and conversation, God blessed, and the Christian people, so it will be better with him.”

10. Luther on the Speeches:

To say “much with so few words is an art. A great folly to use many words and say nothing.”

For the personal appearance of Luther recommends about: “fresh! Tu’s mouth! Listen to soon!” Luther confesses: “I hate the lot of speakers. The truth is not many words.” Those who have to keep important or interesting to Talk to, he gives the following advice: “A good speaker, office, or character, is that he didn’t stop, if you listen to him the most.” And for all the pulpits in the Church, he has this tip: “you can preach what you want, but preach never more than forty minutes!” Even this period is likely to overwhelm some listeners.

 
11. Luther on music:

“Music is the best tonic for an affected people were practicing. As a result, the heart will again be satisfied, reinvigorated and refreshed.”

In the language of the 16th century. Century this is Luther sounds quote: “Musica is the best refreshment to a troubled people, as a result, the heart happy, refreshed and refreshed.” Obviously, the great reformer knew of the therapeutic effect of music. In addition to the theology studies he enjoyed a musical education. By him sealed and composed songs, he creates later, a new, highly successful Genre of the Church singing. Sometimes he takes simple melodies of folk songs, on which he writes pious texts.

Nevertheless, the music, for Luther, is only the second most important, because it underlines: “According to the Holy word of God, nothing is so cheap and so highly to praise and praise, than the Musica.” Although for him, so the Bible is in the first place, he observes: “Musica is a half-discipline, and breeding, champion, the people gentle and meek, more modest and more reasonable.” In addition, Luther is convinced that “music is a gift of God that destroys the devil, and the people happy.”

12. Luther on love, marriage and Sex:

“The woman should ensure that her husband likes to come home, and he should ensure that she makes him reluctant to go back.”

In Luther’s quote is a simple principle. Later on his own experience, he knows: “A woman is the best Companion for life.” And: “There is no better thing on earth because woman love, to whom you can come.”

To him it is given – and how. Only at the age of 42 years, the former monk who had lived a celibate married the escaped nun Katharina von Bora. Of the marriage six children. The connection works. And so the nuptial revels late bloomer: “it is Not France, and Venice’s sake, I would give my Käthe, because God gave me a woman whose blessings are so much greater than your weaknesses.”

However, in times of spatial distance and the resulting sexual abstinence can be expressions of Luther-elected even less. From one of his many journeys, he writes to Catherine, “Give it to God, I come before Wintereise to Wittenberg, so I wanted to bump you that there is a crash.”

Also, how often is it in a marriage “” should crash, he has one piece of advice to the Council of Europe: “The week zwier (combination of two and four), the women a fee, is not a threat to me or to yourself, makes this year one hundred and four.” Is left today of this quote: In the week two to four, harms neither him nor her.

To all that want to look after a bride-to-be – 500 years ago the man had, as a rule, the active Part – recommends Luther: “If you want to marry, not the father, but according to the reputation of the mother of the young girl. Why? Because the beer smells in General to the barrel.” In any case, but it is, as Luther is, on the love: “It is much more poor than the rich, in the name of God, getting married, than that the Rich stay rich, and get married for the sake of money.”

13. Luther about this and that:

“The desire is unquenched after the fulfillment of desires as well as she was before.”

Through the landscape of life and back – for a watch and at the same time, communicative people such as Martin Luther stay so adhere to some of the concerns, values, details of which will be wisdom to live for him. Many of them, he has brought in around 7000 table talk:

– “Nothing is more slowly forgotten than an insult and nothing more than a boon.”

– “There is no worse resentment in the world than that of the hypocrites. In a robber and a whore more mercy than a hypocrite.”

– “Who remains a fool not wine, woman and song, the loves of his life.”

– “The wine is strong the king is stronger, women still stronger, the truth is the strongest.”

– “The world defiles always, what to praise, and praise, what you should desecrate.”

– “The words of Christ are always aptly. Have hands and feet. You go beyond all the wisdom, advice, and Cunning of the Wise.”